THE PEOPLE VS. OJ SIMPSON Preview: Assembling the Dream Team

The immediate aftermath of the murders and the white bronco chase have been featured on THE PEOPLE VS. OJ SIMPSON and now the attention turns to what comes next: the trial.

As OJ sits in jail, Robert Shaprio is trying to figure out how to handle his famous — and infamous — client. His first order of business is to contact two well-known lawyers for their advice: F. Lee Bailey and Alan Dershowitz. As one of Dershowitz’s associates points out to Shapiro, DNA evidence is just starting to become important and it has a place in the trial. OJ’s DNA was found at the crime scene and that can’t be disputed, but what the defense can do is try to claim the sample was contaminated and get the DNA thrown out of court.

Already Shapiro sees the benefit in making OJ’s case about race. “You’re going to say this case is all about race,” a reporter asks Shapiro in tonight’s episode. “Yes, because it is. I’m simply shedding light on it,” Shapiro replies, laying the groundwork for his defense in the media long before they ever set foot in the courtroom. And LAPD Detective Mark Furman is someone that the defense is already eyeing as someone that can help their case. After all, Furhman was a self-admitted racist by that point and he was involved in the murder investigation. Meanwhile, Johnnie Cochran is patiently sitting by the phone and waiting for Shapiro to call him to join “the dream team”.

As the defense starts to plot their strategy, Marcia Clark seems convinced that the prosecution of OJ is a slam dunk. But she soon realizes she’s coming up against all sorts of hurdles, from race issues to witnesses getting paid by the tabloids for their stories. Enter Chris Darden, who is able to provide Marcia with the African-American point of view on the situation.

Finally, Robert Kardashian seems to be wary of the instant fame that has befallen him as a result of his friendship with OJ and he’s not happy when his ex-wife shares her thoughts about OJ’s guilt.